WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get. This is a journal blog, an explore-blog, a bit of this and that blog. Sharing where the mood takes me. Perhaps it will take you too.

Menojiggling - Not Jogging... picking up the race pace

After the Parkrun on the 12th, Mac1 and I took ourselves off to the cinema ("Arrival", more on that anon) and then I got back home for the Scotland v Australia Rugby Union match.

Sunday came along and it was very very wet. The Supernova run was going ahead anyway. Mac1 collected Neighbour M and myself before going to pick up Liz the co-runner at 3pm. Up the M9 we headed towards Falkirk.

We missed the turn-off. Not difficult to do, because the rain was belting down by that time and it was already getting dark (4pm now). A fifteen minute detour was okay. We found the football stadium, got a park remarkably close to the road crossing. The girls togged up.


Their run was to be on behalf of the Royal Blind School, where our Maestro and also Liz's son attended - hence the connection. Between them they had already raised £1100/-
Very impressive!























The Supernova Run is an annual event and the idea is to raise money for charities of each group's own choosing. Mac1's PB on the regular 5k run was 37m37s and she was out to beat that. As we walked from the car park to the registration/start point, Neighbour M and I were already a tad wagging - it was nearly one kilometre already. Everyone was cheerful and keen though and it was not difficult to be carried along by their enthusiasm.





















M and I did not feel we could stand and wait for the start (it was half an hour still to go) and there was no place to sit that wasn't soaking, so said we would just pop up to see the Kelpies and then come back to the car. In saying that we were making the assumption that the 5k run was the same as the Figgate Park version... i.e. five times round a 1k circuit, so once round would do us.

We wandered along the boardwalks and enjoyed the parkland in the dark - there were swans and other birds, but Fudge's flash wasn't working. I could only use it where there were floodlights.
























By the time M and I had reached the Kelpies we had no idea that we had already walked nearly 3k of the circuit... and the runners were coming up behind us! We had to stand for about 15 minutes or more till the main runners had gone by; the warden wouldn't let us go until that point and even then he said we had to go in the same direction as the remaining participants.



We had the one advantage that we were able to see Liz and Mac1 running past us with their head torches ablaze... and, of course, some beauty shots of those magnificent structures.



















































































As M and I dragged our ever more wobbly bones back along behind the last of the runners we overheard something that made us nearly collapse on the spot...

"... don't worry chaps and chapesses, only a kilometre to go!!!"

He may have been cheering on the lagging legs of the ones who had intended to actually be doing this thing, but he was rattling the chains of two auld darlin's who'd thought to only march a mile!!! ... and sure enough, round the next corner...
























(And NO those are NOT minions behind Neighbour M... they are the tail end of the 500 plus runners.)

It took everything M and I had to get ourselves back to just the gathering point, at which stage I said that I thought we ought to just keep going the extra kilometre back to the carpark as for certain sure Mac1 and Liz would be waiting for us... and your's truly had the key...

We could hardly talk by the time we got back. The girls opened the doors and bundled us both into the car. They had completed their run in.......... 35m28s wwwahhooooooooooooooooo....

Now, whether it had begun with the little stick-seat the day before, or whether it was the having to stand around for 15+ minutes up at the Kelpies, I am pretty certain that the physicality of the weekend had taken its toll to trigger off the sciatica, cuz from the next day onwards it has been nasty. Do you know though? I would not have missed it for the world. I just wish I'd known in advance and M and I could have got in some sponsorship ourselves!!!

9 comments:

  1. YaYa,Oh we love all the lights and festive feel of the entire run.
    In spite of the evil sciatica you have lovely memories
    Hugs HiC

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  2. Yam, they would have brought me in on a golf cart. Good for you!

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  3. With the lights and the Kelpies, it looks a stunning event.

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  4. I missed most of the rugby matches this year as most were played over there and on tele here at about 3am except the All Black ones and they are all won by NZ.
    Good for you I would need a wheel chair.
    Merle.........

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  5. What a wonderful event and the photos were just stunning.

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  6. Never been to run like that. I believe I would be awe at the whole thing.
    Coffee is on

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  7. Gosh. I hope the photos were worth it! Sigh.
    We've foggy weather, with snow on the ground. Such a muddy mess! xx

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  8. The photos of the Kelpies in red is just fantastic. Can you be sponsored after the fact? I would be happy to you know!

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  9. Yes, you over did thyself I fear! but the beautiful shots are amazing.

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